Accounts Center ad preferences
Accounts Center ad preferences are the settings where people on Facebook and Instagram control the ads they see: hiding an advertiser, seeing less of a topic, and choosing whether Meta uses their activity from other websites and apps, or some of their profile details, to pick ads. Meta says the settings change which ads someone sees, not how many, and there is no way to hide all ads.
Where are ad preferences on Facebook and Instagram?
Under Settings, then Accounts Center or Meta Account, then Ad preferences.
Meta is partway through a rename. Its Ad
preferences page says: "We're
gradually updating people to Meta Accounts. You may see either Accounts Center
or Meta Account settings as the place to manage your account settings." The
same page adds that "Not everyone will be able to access this setting in Meta
Account or Accounts Center at this time", and points those people to
accountscenter.facebook.com.
What can people control?
Meta splits the settings into two tabs:
| Manage ads tab | Manage info tab |
|---|---|
| Choose to use Meta's products with or without ads | Profile information used to show you ads |
| See your ad activity | Activity information from ad partners |
| Manage your ad topics | Ads shown by Meta in other apps |
| See the ads you've saved | Who can see your social interactions alongside ads |
| Review advertisers you saw ads from |
Two notes from Meta's pages. Changing ad preferences "influences which ads you see, but it won't change the total number of ads you see", and "there is no way to hide all ads."
What does "see less" of an ad topic do?
Ad topics include "alcohol, parenting, pets and social issues, elections or politics", though the political topic "is not available in every country". Meta's description of the effect:
If you choose to see less of an ad topic, you won't get as many ads about that topic, and advertisers can't target you based on an interest in it. You may still see some ads related to these topics even if you chose to see less of them.
If someone's Facebook and Instagram profiles are in the same Meta Account, the choice applies to both.
What happens when people turn off activity from ad partners?
Meta's activity from ad partners page explains the setting with an example: "we may show you an ad for a shirt based on your visit to a clothing website." Turning it off does not stop everything:
If you turn off this setting, the ads you see may still be based on your activity on our platform. They may also be based on information from a specific business that has shared a list of individuals or devices with us, if we've matched your profile to information on that list.
In the European Region there is one more choice. Meta's personalized or less-personalized ads page says the option "is only available in the European Region". Less-personalized ads use "How you engage with ads", "Your age, the gender you provide and your location", device information and the content someone is viewing at the time. In the European Region and the UK, Meta also offers a subscription for no ads.
What can't any setting unlock?
Meta's How Facebook decides which ads to show you lists limits on the advertiser side: "We don't offer advertisers options to create audiences for ads that relate to topics people may think of as sensitive", such as health, race or ethnicity, political affiliation, religion or sexual orientation. And "We do not use the content of your messages with other people for ads targeting."
What it means for your ads
- You can't target past a person's choice. Someone who chose to see less of your topic is no longer reachable through that interest. The creative has to earn attention from the people who remain.
- Your customer list still works. Meta's own text says ads "may also be based on" a list a business shared, even with partner activity off.
- Expect some people to hide you. Meta lets people hide a single ad or every ad from an advertiser. Fresh creative is the lever you control; see frequency.
- People can see why. "Why am I seeing this ad?" shows "factors that may have influenced why you saw this ad".
Sources
- Your Ad preferences and how you can adjust them on Facebook — Facebook Help Center: the Accounts Center and Meta Account naming, the two tabs, "won't change the total number of ads", "no way to hide all ads" and ad topics (rendered in a browser, accessed 2026-10-18)
- Adjust how content on Facebook is shown to you based on your activity from other businesses — Facebook Help Center: the activity from ad partners setting and what still applies when it is off (rendered in a browser, accessed 2026-10-18)
- Manage whether you see personalized or less-personalized ads — Facebook Help Center: the European Region option and what less-personalized ads use (rendered in a browser, accessed 2026-10-18)
- Subscription for No Ads — Facebook Help Center: availability in the European Region and the UK (rendered in a browser, accessed 2026-10-18)
- How Facebook decides which ads to show you — Facebook Help Center: "Why am I seeing this ad?", sensitive-topic audience limits and messages (rendered in a browser, accessed 2026-10-18)
Meta's help pages are client-rendered and show no date; they were read in a real browser on 18 October 2026. Meta revises them without notice, and the settings differ by country, so check the source before acting on any of it.
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